August By Cake

Guided By Voices

Guided By Voices’ August By Cake is the one hundredth studio
album that Robert Pollard has released since 1986’s Forever Since
Breakfast. To put that in perspective, Bob Dylan has released roughly
thirty nine studio albums since 1959. And that includes the Traveling
Wilburys.

This is a highly anticipated record, which includes the new line-up
(returning GBV veterans Doug Gillard and Kevin March, virgins
Bobby Bare Jr and Mark Shue) that has been wowing audience in
clubs and festivals throughout 2016. It’s the most musically adept
and versatile line-up Pollard has ever assembled.

With thirty two songs, this album is also GBV’s first ever doublealbum,
and song contributions from all five band members is additional
icing on the cake, setting album #100 apart from the previous ninetynine.

The double album is an important format in Pollard’s own musical
iconography, and he doesn’t take the form lightly — one reason he’s
planned and abandoned several would-be GBV double albums in the
past is his high regard for foundational works like Quadrophenia, the
White Album, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Daydream Nation,
Zen Arcade, Double Nickels On the Dime — “defining records for
these bands,” says Pollard. It’s important to him that August By Cake
not just be a double album but that it be a great one.